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Lean Transformation # 1
In 1997 in an inconspicuous factory on Northwood Drive in a small
industrial park in Maryland, I began my rst factory Lean transforma-
tion. By that time I had earned the APICS certication, including the Just
In Time module certication test, and traveled to Japan and Taiwan con-
ducting quality system audits and studying Japanese manufacturing tech-
niques. I had read Just in Time for America by Henry Wantuck, 20 Keys
to Workplace Improvement by Iwao Kobayashi, and several other Lean or
Just in Time books. I had attended demand ow technologies training and
had gained some practical experience in applying some of t ...